Celebrating Our Second Spring with A Springtime Soup

May 09, 2025

The last few weeks here have brought beautiful weather, warm but breezy days, and the occasional light shower, perfect for the nettles to appear. Like many of us, I have had encounters with the plant since childhood. A seemingly feather-light brush of my hand against the stinging nettle has left me covered in welts, and one memorable moment I had a very painful moment when I needed to wee and jumped behind a hedge, only to squat in a bunch of nettles.

But still, when finding them amongst my other plants, I am resisting pulling them up and instead leaning into my hedge witch self and learning more about the benefits of nettles. And there are many…

Benefits of Stinging Nettles

In Western herbal medicine, the nettle is a nutritious plant that may reduce inflammation, as demonstrated in small-scale human studies. Nettles offers a variety of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, polyphenols, and pigments, many of which also act as antioxidants.

Nettles have been traditionally used to treat high blood pressure, and studies illustrate that they may help lower blood pressure in several ways. They may stimulate nitric oxide production, which acts as a vasodilator. Vasodilators relax the muscles of your blood vessels, helping them widen, and nettles have compounds that may act as calcium channel blockers, which relax your heart by reducing the force of contractions.

In traditional Chinese Medicine, Xun Ma (stinging nettle) belongs to the 'Herbs that dispel Wind and Dampness'. These herbs typically help treat what's called 'bi pain' (i.e., painful obstruction) in TCM. This roughly corresponds to arthritic and rheumatic conditions with pain, stiffness, and numbness of the bones, joints, and muscles.

Furthermore, Xun Ma is Cold in nature. This means that it typically helps women in perimenopause and menopause who have too much 'Heat' in their body, which often presents as hot flushes. In Chinese dietary therapy, nettles are described as foods our Kidney system likes. They help strengthen Yin energy which can depressed at this life transition, and support strengthening Jing, our life essence, and so support healthy aging.

Xun Ma tastes Bitter and Pungent. Bitter ingredients mean that they tend to have a cleansing action on the body by clearing Heat, drying Dampness, and promoting elimination via urination or bowel movements. On the other hand Pungent ingredients tend to promote the circulations of Qi and Body Fluids.

The tastes of ingredients in TCM also determine which Organs and Meridians they target. As such, Xun Ma is thought to target the Liver. In TCM, the Liver is often referred to as the body's "general" because it is in charge of regulating the movements of Qi and the Body Fluids. It also takes a leading role in balancing our emotions.

My Favorite Soup Recipes

This year, I have ventured out dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved top, and leather gardening gloves to harvest as much of the prickly plant as I can find. You need about 500g to make, and that’s quite a lot of these stingers.

The first task once you’ve harvested the nettles is to negate the stinging, which can be done with a quick boiling water bath. Crazy as this may sound, you want to save the tincture (or tea) created from this process. The nettles only need to be immersed and stirred around in the hot water for a minute or two, then removed and wrung dry. Reserve the liquid, which will keep bottled in your fridge for up to a week.

The key to a nettle soup is to give it body. Without this, it is a bit like eating boiled weeds will be confirmed.” The starchy potato is a tried-and-tested bulker, while a white sauce, thickened with butter and flour, gives a creamy consistency, and a little of the stock gives it an umami boost.

The milk means that there’s no need to add cream, and you get a thrifty, warming, nutritious, and delicious soup.

Perfect Nettle Soup
Prep: 25 min | Cook: 30 min | Serves: 4

Ingredients:

500g young nettle tops (roughly one carrier bag full)
30g butter or extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped (optional but adds depth)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Freshly grated nutmeg (about ¼ tsp)
2 tbsp plain flour
500ml whole milk (or unsweetened plant milk, such as oat or soy)
300ml good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
Juice of ½ lemon, to finish
Crème fraîche, yogurt, or a drizzle of cream (optional, to serve)

Method:

Prepare the nettles:
Wearing gloves, strip the leaves and tender tips from the thick stems. If the nettles are very young, you can include the thinner stalks. Rinse thoroughly to remove dirt or bugs.
Blanch the nettles:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the nettles for 2–3 minutes, just until tender and bright green (younger plants need less time). Drain and plunge immediately into a bowl of ice-cold water to preserve color. Drain again and squeeze dry, then roughly chop.
Start the base:
In a medium pot, melt the butter or heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion (and celery, if using) with a pinch of salt and sauté for 5–7 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add aromatics:
Stir in the garlic and nutmeg. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant but not browned.
Thicken:
Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes to eliminate any raw flour taste. Gradually whisk in the milk to form a smooth mixture, then stir in the stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5–10 minutes, until slightly thickened and the consistency of double cream.
Blend the soup:
Add the chopped nettles to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes, then use a stick blender or liquidiser to purée until smooth. For extra silkiness, pass through a fine sieve.
Finish and serve:
Gently reheat (do not boil), and season to taste with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten. Serve hot with a dollop of crème fraîche or a swirl of cream if desired.

Have you tried making nettle soup or using nettles as a herbal medicine?

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